Finalist, Revenue Under $2 Million
Lillian Strickler Lighting
Oklahoma City

A fourth generation of customers in Oklahoma City now shops at Lillian Strickler Lighting. The popular local establishment can sell you a new light fixture, repair or restore an old favorite, or create an original design from scratch. The 2,200-square-foot store aims to offer customers the complete package, specializing in upscale chandeliers, sconces and portable lamps. The retailer boasts a bigger lamp shade assortment than any other store in the state. The shade selection is so big and the company is so skilled at repair and restoration that other stores send customers to Lillian Strickler.

There’s also the “Lillian Strickler Way” — an old-fashioned approach to doing business that combines customer service, high-quality products and special services with a superior level of integrity.

Customers often remark that it must be fun to work at this store — and indeed it is. A small staff has more than 120 years of combined experience. Each staffer takes great pride in his or her work and will go out of the way to make a customer feel special. The company goes out of its way to make employees feel special, too. Working conditions were improved with a better-equipped break room. And the company has lenient policies about vacation and personal days off. A year-end bonus in 2009 was another gesture that went a long way toward boosting employee morale.